Alpine sweet-vetch

Quick look

Hedysarum alpinum is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name alpine sweetvetch, bear root, or eskimo potato. It is called masu, mashu, masru or mazu in the Iñupiaq language, and as food aigak, meaning edible root. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring throughout the northern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

• It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
• USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 11 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• NatureServe lists it as native to Alaska. ^NatureServe
• In Alaska, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. ^iNaturalist
• USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as early summer. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 2 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
• iNaturalist has 994 research-grade sightings of it in Alaska, ranking #46 among the 108 flowers on our Alaska list. ^iNaturalist